Donna On The Beach » Christmas http://www.donnaonthebeach.com/blog Life's a Beach...! Fri, 18 May 2012 09:01:48 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 Silly Season http://www.donnaonthebeach.com/blog/2011/12/silly-season/ http://www.donnaonthebeach.com/blog/2011/12/silly-season/#comments Thu, 08 Dec 2011 16:35:04 +0000 Donnaonthebeach http://www.donnaonthebeach.com/blog/?p=3090 How stressful has Christmas become?! Since November I have heard people everywhere saying 'oh god, it's nearly Christmas...are you ready? I'm not ready, I haven't even started. Aaaaaaaargh!' Now Christmas really is nearly hear, the stress is reaching a crescendo...just look at the joyful (not!) faces in the shops.

Magazines and newspapers are full of articles on 'surviving' Christmas - like it's some kind of disastrous event! What happened to 'tis the season to be jolly'?! Don't get me wrong, I do appreciate that Christmas can be stressful - there's the financial strain, the consequences of getting the 'wrong' present, the enforced family time, the cooking, the endless parties...

However, it's a national HOLIDAY! A time to enjoy yourself. And get pressies. This year, why not give yourself the best pressie of all and design your Christmas so you look forward to it, enjoy it and 'survive' with effortless ease?! I am very lucky, because my Christmas is always the same - mass, breakfast, pub, dinner, pressies, tv, sleep. Hoorah!

A few of my favourite things in one day. So, you've got 2 weeks (stop panicking!) - what can you do to minimise the things you hate, and maximise the things you love this year? Tip: if you join in with the December Daily Practice of Self-care, this will help immensely!

- Something to Play With -

A. What do you love about Christmas? B. What do you hate about Christmas? C. How can you make sure you get more of A and less of B in this festive season?

Love

Donna.x

]]>

How stressful has Christmas become?! Since November I have heard people everywhere saying ‘oh god, it’s nearly Christmas…are you ready? I’m not ready, I haven’t even started. Aaaaaaaargh!’ Now Christmas really is nearly hear, the stress is reaching a crescendo…just look at the joyful (not!) faces in the shops.

Magazines and newspapers are full of articles on ‘surviving’ Christmas – like it’s some kind of disastrous event! What happened to ’tis the season to be jolly’?! Don’t get me wrong, I do appreciate that Christmas can be stressful – there’s the financial strain, the consequences of getting the ‘wrong’ present, the enforced family time, the cooking, the endless parties…

However, it’s a national HOLIDAY! A time to enjoy yourself. And get pressies. This year, why not give yourself the best pressie of all and design your Christmas so you look forward to it, enjoy it and ‘survive’ with effortless ease?! I am very lucky, because my Christmas is always the same – mass, breakfast, pub, dinner, pressies, tv, sleep. Hoorah!

A few of my favourite things in one day. So, you’ve got 2 weeks (stop panicking!) – what can you do to minimise the things you hate, and maximise the things you love this year? Tip: if you join in with the December Daily Practice of Self-care, this will help immensely!

- Something to Play With -

A. What do you love about Christmas? B. What do you hate about Christmas? C. How can you make sure you get more of A and less of B in this festive season?

Love

Donna.x

Related Articles:

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]]> http://www.donnaonthebeach.com/blog/2011/12/silly-season/feed/ 0 OnTheBeach – Time to Make a Difference http://www.donnaonthebeach.com/blog/2011/11/onthebeach-time-to-make-a-difference/ http://www.donnaonthebeach.com/blog/2011/11/onthebeach-time-to-make-a-difference/#comments Thu, 17 Nov 2011 08:28:06 +0000 Donnaonthebeach http://www.donnaonthebeach.com/blog/?p=3052 I find this time of year really interesting when it comes to people's goals/intentions/plans for their lives. Oh, it's December, no point starting a healthy eating plan now. Oh, it's nearly Christmas, I can't give up smoking now. I'll start 2012 with a resolution to drink less/save more/find a new job/date more/connect with my intuition/design my life/start a business/take up a new hobby/have some more fun.

Erm. Can I just point out that there are still 45 days in 2011?! Why wait? Why put it off until January - or maybe February because January's miserable enough without doing something difficult…or March because February's a short month…or even April because March is busy...and the excuses go on until another year has passed, it's next November and you're thinking 'hey, no point starting now, I'll start 2013 with a resolution to drink less/save more/find a new job/date more/connect with my intuition/design my life/start a business/take up a new hobby/have some more fun.

You think I am exagerating? Can you think of a goal/intention/plan that you've been meaning to get into for YEARS? That's now getting put off AGAIN until next year? Thought so. I actually find that this is a GREAT time of year to take some real action on my goals. One year I packed my job in at the end of November, the year before I gave up smoking on the 11th December, the previous year I paid off my debts in December. And the wonderful thing about it is that you can start the New Year with a spring in your step, already proud that you've made a start. And let's face it, if you can make progress to make your life FABULOUS around Christmas, with all its distractions and busy-ness, you can do it ANYTIME!

I know what you're thinking…I'm trying to ruin the festive season for you by making you go on a diet of water and celery or work yourself into the ground and miss out on Christmas parties. No. Your action does not have to be something massive and time-consuming to be impactful. For example, I am on a weight-loss programme, and my goal for December is to lose 2 pounds despite Christmas - if I do this, I will be at my goal weight at the beginning of January! And it should be relatively easy - I shall still eat, drink and be merry, but I will also have 'good days' and keep up the exercise (so I'll probably keep up the daily practice of dancing which will not exactly be a hardship!)

The trick is to make your action EASY - just make progress on your most important goals and desires. Imagine if you took just a small step towards what you want EVERY DAY until the end of the year. How much progress do you think you could make? How would it feel to start next year knowing that you are already well on the way to achieving one of your dreams? Imagine if you worked on the novel you've always write for half an hour every day, by the end of the year, you'd have done 22 and a half hours of writing. A lot of progress can be made in 'just' 45 days of action...so how are you going to end the year? With a whimper? Or with time to make a difference to your life?

And if you want help to end the year with a flourish, see this week's special offer!

- Something to Play With -

Use this exercise to help you end the year on a high note of action and achievement:

- Pick the one goal/intention/plan that will make the most difference to your life.

- What can you do every day to make progress on this goal?

- Tell someone what you're planning to do - if you're feeling really brave, e-mail me, I'll put your action plan in next week's newsletter and we'll all encourage you!

- DO IT - make a difference to 2012.

Want to share your thoughts on this article? Please leave a comment.

- Beach Card of the week -

"Connection to the source - keep your connection to the creative energy of all there is, and use it as rocket fuel! You know you're connected when you feel joyous, giggly-happy, full of vibrant energy and life - what makes you feel this way? And make sure you do it often to get your connection to the source energy flowing." For a daily 'beach card', join us on Facebook.

Love

Donna.x

]]>

I find this time of year really interesting when it comes to people’s goals/intentions/plans for their lives. Oh, it’s December, no point starting a healthy eating plan now. Oh, it’s nearly Christmas, I can’t give up smoking now. I’ll start 2012 with a resolution to drink less/save more/find a new job/date more/connect with my intuition/design my life/start a business/take up a new hobby/have some more fun.

Erm. Can I just point out that there are still 45 days in 2011?! Why wait? Why put it off until January – or maybe February because January’s miserable enough without doing something difficult…or March because February’s a short month…or even April because March is busy…and the excuses go on until another year has passed, it’s next November and you’re thinking ‘hey, no point starting now, I’ll start 2013 with a resolution to drink less/save more/find a new job/date more/connect with my intuition/design my life/start a business/take up a new hobby/have some more fun.

You think I am exagerating? Can you think of a goal/intention/plan that you’ve been meaning to get into for YEARS? That’s now getting put off AGAIN until next year? Thought so. I actually find that this is a GREAT time of year to take some real action on my goals. One year I packed my job in at the end of November, the year before I gave up smoking on the 11th December, the previous year I paid off my debts in December. And the wonderful thing about it is that you can start the New Year with a spring in your step, already proud that you’ve made a start. And let’s face it, if you can make progress to make your life FABULOUS around Christmas, with all its distractions and busy-ness, you can do it ANYTIME!

I know what you’re thinking…I’m trying to ruin the festive season for you by making you go on a diet of water and celery or work yourself into the ground and miss out on Christmas parties. No. Your action does not have to be something massive and time-consuming to be impactful. For example, I am on a weight-loss programme, and my goal for December is to lose 2 pounds despite Christmas – if I do this, I will be at my goal weight at the beginning of January! And it should be relatively easy – I shall still eat, drink and be merry, but I will also have ‘good days’ and keep up the exercise (so I’ll probably keep up the daily practice of dancing which will not exactly be a hardship!)

The trick is to make your action EASY – just make progress on your most important goals and desires. Imagine if you took just a small step towards what you want EVERY DAY until the end of the year. How much progress do you think you could make? How would it feel to start next year knowing that you are already well on the way to achieving one of your dreams? Imagine if you worked on the novel you’ve always write for half an hour every day, by the end of the year, you’d have done 22 and a half hours of writing. A lot of progress can be made in ‘just’ 45 days of action…so how are you going to end the year? With a whimper? Or with time to make a difference to your life?

And if you want help to end the year with a flourish, see this week’s special offer!

- Something to Play With -

Use this exercise to help you end the year on a high note of action and achievement:
- Pick the one goal/intention/plan that will make the most difference to your life.
- What can you do every day to make progress on this goal?
- Tell someone what you’re planning to do – if you’re feeling really brave, e-mail me, I’ll put your action plan in next week’s newsletter and we’ll all encourage you!
- DO IT – make a difference to 2012.
Want to share your thoughts on this article? Please leave a comment below.

- Beach Card of the week -

“Connection to the source – keep your connection to the creative energy of all there is, and use it as rocket fuel! You know you’re connected when you feel joyous, giggly-happy, full of vibrant energy and life – what makes you feel this way? And make sure you do it often to get your connection to the source energy flowing.” For a daily ‘beach card’, join us on Facebook.

Love

Donna.x

Related Articles:

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]]> http://www.donnaonthebeach.com/blog/2011/12/silly-season/feed/ 0 7 Weeks To Christmas! http://www.donnaonthebeach.com/blog/2011/11/7-weeks-to-christmas/ http://www.donnaonthebeach.com/blog/2011/11/7-weeks-to-christmas/#comments Mon, 07 Nov 2011 15:31:01 +0000 Donnaonthebeach http://www.donnaonthebeach.com/blog/?p=3006 PressieI'm sorry, I mentioned the C word...but it really is only 7 weeks away...how did that happen? I am normally one of these people who ignores the fact that Christmas is coming until about the 11th December (just after my birthday!), but this year I have been a little bit more organised and started getting pressies as early as September!

And I have been super organised in coming up with some fabulous special offers to lead us up to Christmas too. I'm calling it 'the 6 weeks of Christmas' and it starts next Monday. This is your early warning - starting on Monday 14th December there will be a special offer every week up to Christmas (and here's a top tip - the biggest savings are in the first two weeks!). So if you have been considering getting help to move your dreams into reality and live with purpose, passion and joy...this could be a really great time to go for it and finish off this year with a flourish!

Love

Donna.x

]]>

PressieI’m sorry, I mentioned the C word…but it really is only 7 weeks away…how did that happen? I am normally one of these people who ignores the fact that Christmas is coming until about the 11th December (just after my birthday!), but this year I have been a little bit more organised and started getting pressies as early as September.

And I have been super organised in coming up with some fabulous special offers to lead us up to Christmas too. I’m calling it ‘the 6 weeks of Christmas’ and it starts next Monday. This is your early warning – starting on Monday 14th December there will be a special offer every week up to Christmas (and here’s a top tip – the biggest savings are in the first two weeks!). So if you have been considering getting help to move your dreams into reality and live with purpose, passion and joy…this could be a really great time to go for it and finish off this year with a flourish!

Love

Donna.x

Related Articles:

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]]> http://www.donnaonthebeach.com/blog/2011/12/silly-season/feed/ 0 Christmas Cake Recipe http://www.donnaonthebeach.com/blog/2010/12/christmas-cake-recipe/ http://www.donnaonthebeach.com/blog/2010/12/christmas-cake-recipe/#comments Thu, 23 Dec 2010 09:07:37 +0000 Donnaonthebeach http://www.donnaonthebeach.com/blog/?p=1150 You'll need the following:

1 cup of water

1 cup of sugar

4 large brown eggs

2 cups of dried fruit

1 teaspoon of salt

1 cup of brown sugar

Lemon juice

Nuts

1 bottle of whisky

Sample the whisky to check for quality. Take a large bowl. Check the whisky again. To be sure it's the highest quality, pour one level cup and drink. Repeat. Turn on the electric mixer, beat one cup of butter in a large fluffy bowl. Add one teaspoon of sugar and beat again. Make sure the whisky is still OK.

Cry another tup. Tune up the mixerer. Beat two leggs and add to the bowl and chuck in the cup of dried fruit. Mix on the turner. If the fired druit gets stuck in the beaterers, pry it goose with a drewscriver. Sample the whisky to check for tonsisticity. Next, sift two cups of salt. Or something. Who cares?

Check the whisky. Now sift the lemon juice and strain your nuts. Add one table. Spoon the sugar or something. Whatever you can find. Grease the oven. Turn the cake tin to 350 degrees. Don't forget to beat off the turner. Throw the bowl out of the window. Check the whisky again and go to bed.

:-)

]]>

You’ll need the following:

1 cup of water
1 cup of sugar
4 large brown eggs
2 cups of dried fruit
1 teaspoon of salt
1 cup of brown sugar
Lemon juice
Nuts
1 bottle of whisky

Sample the whisky to check for quality. Take a large bowl. Check the whisky again. To be sure it’s the highest quality, pour one level cup and drink. Repeat. Turn on the electric mixer, beat one cup of butter in a large fluffy bowl. Add one teaspoon of sugar and beat again. Make sure the whisky is still OK.

Cry another tup. Tune up the mixerer. Beat two leggs and add to the bowl and chuck in the cup of dried fruit. Mix on the turner. If the fired druit gets stuck in the beaterers, pry it goose with a drewscriver. Sample the whisky to check for tonsisticity. Next, sift two cups of salt. Or something. Who cares?

Check the whisky. Now sift the lemon juice and strain your nuts. Add one table. Spoon the sugar or something. Whatever you can find. Grease the oven. Turn the cake tin to 350 degrees. Don’t forget to beat off the turner. Throw the bowl out of the window. Check the whisky again and go to bed.

:-)

Related Articles:

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]]> http://www.donnaonthebeach.com/blog/2011/12/silly-season/feed/ 0 Give Yourself a Christmas Gift http://www.donnaonthebeach.com/blog/2009/12/give-yourself-a-christmas-gift/ http://www.donnaonthebeach.com/blog/2009/12/give-yourself-a-christmas-gift/#comments Fri, 18 Dec 2009 11:36:20 +0000 Donnaonthebeach http://www.donnaonthebeach.com/blog/?p=1981

How stressful has Christmas become?! Since November I have heard people everywhere saying ‘oh god, it’s nearly Christmas…are you ready? I’m not ready, I haven’t even started. Aaaaaaaargh!’ Now Christmas really is nearly hear, the stress is reaching a crescendo…just look at the joyful (not!) faces in the shops.

Magazines and newspapers are full of articles on ‘surviving’ Christmas – like it’s some kind of disastrous event! What happened to ’tis the season to be jolly’?! Don’t get me wrong, I do appreciate that Christmas can be stressful – there’s the financial strain, the consequences of getting the ‘wrong’ present, the enforced family time, the cooking, the endless parties…

However, it’s a national HOLIDAY! A time to enjoy yourself. And get pressies. This year, why not give yourself the best pressie of all and design your Christmas so you look forward to it, enjoy it and ‘survive’ with effortless ease?! I am very lucky, because my Christmas is always the same – mass, breakfast, pub, dinner, pressies, tv, sleep. Hoorah!

A few of my favourite things in one day. So, you’ve got 2 weeks (stop panicking!) – what can you do to minimise the things you hate, and maximise the things you love this year? Tip: if you join in with the December Daily Practice of Self-care, this will help immensely!

- Something to Play With -

A. What do you love about Christmas? B. What do you hate about Christmas? C. How can you make sure you get more of A and less of B in this festive season?

Love

Donna.x

Related Articles:

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]]> http://www.donnaonthebeach.com/blog/2011/12/silly-season/feed/ 0 A Letter to Father Christmas http://www.donnaonthebeach.com/blog/2009/12/a-letter-to-father-christmas/ http://www.donnaonthebeach.com/blog/2009/12/a-letter-to-father-christmas/#comments Tue, 15 Dec 2009 10:55:05 +0000 Donnaonthebeach http://www.donnaonthebeach.com/blog/?p=1979

How stressful has Christmas become?! Since November I have heard people everywhere saying ‘oh god, it’s nearly Christmas…are you ready? I’m not ready, I haven’t even started. Aaaaaaaargh!’ Now Christmas really is nearly hear, the stress is reaching a crescendo…just look at the joyful (not!) faces in the shops.

Magazines and newspapers are full of articles on ‘surviving’ Christmas – like it’s some kind of disastrous event! What happened to ’tis the season to be jolly’?! Don’t get me wrong, I do appreciate that Christmas can be stressful – there’s the financial strain, the consequences of getting the ‘wrong’ present, the enforced family time, the cooking, the endless parties…

However, it’s a national HOLIDAY! A time to enjoy yourself. And get pressies. This year, why not give yourself the best pressie of all and design your Christmas so you look forward to it, enjoy it and ‘survive’ with effortless ease?! I am very lucky, because my Christmas is always the same – mass, breakfast, pub, dinner, pressies, tv, sleep. Hoorah!

A few of my favourite things in one day. So, you’ve got 2 weeks (stop panicking!) – what can you do to minimise the things you hate, and maximise the things you love this year? Tip: if you join in with the December Daily Practice of Self-care, this will help immensely!

- Something to Play With -

A. What do you love about Christmas? B. What do you hate about Christmas? C. How can you make sure you get more of A and less of B in this festive season?

Love

Donna.x

Related Articles:

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]]> http://www.donnaonthebeach.com/blog/2011/12/silly-season/feed/ 0 Put Yourself First For Christmas http://www.donnaonthebeach.com/blog/2009/12/put-yourself-first-for-christmas/ http://www.donnaonthebeach.com/blog/2009/12/put-yourself-first-for-christmas/#comments Mon, 14 Dec 2009 16:17:28 +0000 Donnaonthebeach http://www.donnaonthebeach.com/blog/?p=1975

How stressful has Christmas become?! Since November I have heard people everywhere saying ‘oh god, it’s nearly Christmas…are you ready? I’m not ready, I haven’t even started. Aaaaaaaargh!’ Now Christmas really is nearly hear, the stress is reaching a crescendo…just look at the joyful (not!) faces in the shops.

Magazines and newspapers are full of articles on ‘surviving’ Christmas – like it’s some kind of disastrous event! What happened to ’tis the season to be jolly’?! Don’t get me wrong, I do appreciate that Christmas can be stressful – there’s the financial strain, the consequences of getting the ‘wrong’ present, the enforced family time, the cooking, the endless parties…

However, it’s a national HOLIDAY! A time to enjoy yourself. And get pressies. This year, why not give yourself the best pressie of all and design your Christmas so you look forward to it, enjoy it and ‘survive’ with effortless ease?! I am very lucky, because my Christmas is always the same – mass, breakfast, pub, dinner, pressies, tv, sleep. Hoorah!

A few of my favourite things in one day. So, you’ve got 2 weeks (stop panicking!) – what can you do to minimise the things you hate, and maximise the things you love this year? Tip: if you join in with the December Daily Practice of Self-care, this will help immensely!

- Something to Play With -

A. What do you love about Christmas? B. What do you hate about Christmas? C. How can you make sure you get more of A and less of B in this festive season?

Love

Donna.x

Related Articles:

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]]> http://www.donnaonthebeach.com/blog/2011/12/silly-season/feed/ 0 MERRY CHRISTMAS! http://www.donnaonthebeach.com/blog/2008/12/merry-christmas/ http://www.donnaonthebeach.com/blog/2008/12/merry-christmas/#comments Thu, 25 Dec 2008 09:42:54 +0000 Donnaonthebeach http://www.donnaonthebeach.com/blog/?p=1164

How stressful has Christmas become?! Since November I have heard people everywhere saying ‘oh god, it’s nearly Christmas…are you ready? I’m not ready, I haven’t even started. Aaaaaaaargh!’ Now Christmas really is nearly hear, the stress is reaching a crescendo…just look at the joyful (not!) faces in the shops.

Magazines and newspapers are full of articles on ‘surviving’ Christmas – like it’s some kind of disastrous event! What happened to ’tis the season to be jolly’?! Don’t get me wrong, I do appreciate that Christmas can be stressful – there’s the financial strain, the consequences of getting the ‘wrong’ present, the enforced family time, the cooking, the endless parties…

However, it’s a national HOLIDAY! A time to enjoy yourself. And get pressies. This year, why not give yourself the best pressie of all and design your Christmas so you look forward to it, enjoy it and ‘survive’ with effortless ease?! I am very lucky, because my Christmas is always the same – mass, breakfast, pub, dinner, pressies, tv, sleep. Hoorah!

A few of my favourite things in one day. So, you’ve got 2 weeks (stop panicking!) – what can you do to minimise the things you hate, and maximise the things you love this year? Tip: if you join in with the December Daily Practice of Self-care, this will help immensely!

- Something to Play With -

A. What do you love about Christmas? B. What do you hate about Christmas? C. How can you make sure you get more of A and less of B in this festive season?

Love

Donna.x

Related Articles:

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]]> http://www.donnaonthebeach.com/blog/2011/12/silly-season/feed/ 0 OnTheBeach – Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas http://www.donnaonthebeach.com/blog/2008/12/onthebeach-have-yourself-a-merry-little-christmas/ http://www.donnaonthebeach.com/blog/2008/12/onthebeach-have-yourself-a-merry-little-christmas/#comments Sun, 21 Dec 2008 17:07:09 +0000 Donnaonthebeach http://www.donnaonthebeach.com/blog/?p=1145

How stressful has Christmas become?! Since November I have heard people everywhere saying ‘oh god, it’s nearly Christmas…are you ready? I’m not ready, I haven’t even started. Aaaaaaaargh!’ Now Christmas really is nearly hear, the stress is reaching a crescendo…just look at the joyful (not!) faces in the shops.

Magazines and newspapers are full of articles on ‘surviving’ Christmas – like it’s some kind of disastrous event! What happened to ’tis the season to be jolly’?! Don’t get me wrong, I do appreciate that Christmas can be stressful – there’s the financial strain, the consequences of getting the ‘wrong’ present, the enforced family time, the cooking, the endless parties…

However, it’s a national HOLIDAY! A time to enjoy yourself. And get pressies. This year, why not give yourself the best pressie of all and design your Christmas so you look forward to it, enjoy it and ‘survive’ with effortless ease?! I am very lucky, because my Christmas is always the same – mass, breakfast, pub, dinner, pressies, tv, sleep. Hoorah!

A few of my favourite things in one day. So, you’ve got 2 weeks (stop panicking!) – what can you do to minimise the things you hate, and maximise the things you love this year? Tip: if you join in with the December Daily Practice of Self-care, this will help immensely!

- Something to Play With -

A. What do you love about Christmas? B. What do you hate about Christmas? C. How can you make sure you get more of A and less of B in this festive season?

Love

Donna.x

Related Articles:

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]]> http://www.donnaonthebeach.com/blog/2011/12/silly-season/feed/ 0